Search - Laura Nyro, Labelle :: Gonna Take a Miracle (Exp)

A Jewel of a Recording

Gary F. Taylor | Biloxi, MS USA | 09/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Laura Nyro originally made her name as the author of a host of tightly-written pop songs that hit big when covered by other artists--but by 1970 she had acquired a reputation as one of the most flatly uncompromising recording artists of her era, a woman who wrote, performed, and recorded without any significant concern for prevailing tastes. Then, just as she seemed to have reached this point of self-definition, she suddenly shifted gears and went into the studio with soul-singing trio LaBelle for an homage to the pop songs of the 1950s and 1960s that had originally inspired her.The result was GONNA TAKE A MIRACLE, an album that is generally regarded as Nyro's most widely accessible work. Opening with a near-acapella rendition of "I Met Him On A Sunday" that divides the song neatly between all four singers, Nyro then launches out on a host of other old favorites with her own voice shining like a diamond against the sultry stylings of LaBelle, giving each tune a noticeably different twist from its original incarnation.Both "The Bells" and "Desiree" suddenly seem as if they had been written with Nyro alone in mind, beginning gently but building a series of dynamic shifts; "Spanish Harlem" is a beautifully rendered selection; and the more vibrant numbers like "Dancing In The Streets" and "Nowhere To Run" crackle with energy. This one of those rare releases of which you can truly say every single cut is first rate all the way.The most powerful thing about the recording is, I think, its spontaneity. According to the liner notes by Amy Linden, the singers were having such a good time together that they didn't actually bother to record anything until the last day--and then they popped out one number after another with little preparation. In any other hands the results would probably have been extremely uneven, but with Nyro and LaBelle it has an enchanting immediacy. They just stepped up the mikes and did it, and their joy in both the music and each other rings through every single cut.GONNA TAKE A MIRACLE is not Nyro's most personal statement, nor does it really offer her at the highwater mark of her artistry--but it is a beautiful little jewel that her fans will adore and which newcomers will likely find much easier to grasp than her more complex work. A truly vibrant, memorable, and just down right fun album. The remaster also offers Nyro performing live, doing brief intros of "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "O-o-h Child" to full length versions of "Natural Woman" and "Up On The Roof"--bonus tracks that truly deserve the title "bonus." Recommended.--GFT (Amazon Reviewer)--"

A miracle from Laura Nyro and LaBelle!

Daniel J. Hamlow | Narita, Japan | 06/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In his book, About A Boy, Nick Hornby describes Rachel, the single mother his character Will falls in love with in the latter part of the book as reminding him of Laura Nyro as she appeared on Gonna Take A Miracle. That's what got me into Laura Nyro, that simple description. Having bought the album earlier this year and finally gotten around to listening it, I was stunned at how Nyro's vocals fit sassy Motown numbers like velvet. Gonna Take A Miracle is her and LaBelle, i.e. Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash, doing Motown and other R&B covers, and they do them splendidly. This is an example of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's production, soon to gain them fame in the Philly Sound. Laura and her new friends simply jam on the danceable songs, clearly enjoying themselves.



There are three Martha and the Vandellas songs done here. The first is "Dancing In the Street," which is the second part of a medley, the first part being the Curtis Mayfield-penned and (I believe) sung by Major Lance. Both parts have piano (by Nyro) and a percussion section that simply jams. Their repeated "don't forget the Motor city" attests to their influences. The other is "Jimmy Mack" which has a snappy pop/soul sound complete with clapping. Sheena Easton's did a version with similar tempo in 1986. And last up is "Nowhere To Run," which has the same jamming sound as "Dancing In The Street."



They do an acapella version of the Shirelles' "I Met Him On A Sunday" before doing the Originals "The Bells," their soaring harmonies doing great justice. Their cover of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "You Really Got A Hold On Me" gives the original a run for its money from the sassy uptempo rhythm and harmonies that suddenly springs up after the leisure part. I thought the Beatles' cover of it was great, but now, looks like I have to give this cover more consideration.



Laura's voice has never been more splendid than on the ballads, which include the title track, originally done by the Royalettes, a piano ballad sweetened by strings and the harmonies of LaBelle, and "Desiree," originally done by the Charts, with ringing vibes accompanying Nyro's resounding vocals. And a backing brass section helps them out on their cover of Ben E. King's "Spanish Harlem."



The four bonus tracks are done live by her solo and include Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing," of which she sings a snatch of before seguing into "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman." It looks like I found the definitive interpreter of this song-sorry Aretha and Carole King. Then it's "O-o-h Child" by the 5 Stairsteps and the Drifters' "Up On The Roof." These songs are just Laura on piano and nothing else. What a voice!



Having already written songs that would prove hits for other groups like "Stoned Soul Picnic," it isn't too surprising that she would splash into the Motown sea with her sistas. Laura Nyro's fifth album is just that, a miracle!

"

Laura Nyro and LaBelle -- Who Could Ask For More?!

Daniel J. Hamlow | 09/08/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Laura Nyro, the idiosyncratic genius who created an inimitable style and an impressive body of work (all before the age of 25!), pays homage to the songs she spent her youth singing in the subways of New York. How fitting, then, that she should do it with arguably the best female vocal ensemble of all time, LaBelle (who were virtually unknown at the time of this recording). While Nyro's great writing can be found on her four previous albums, this record makes clear the roots she drew upon in her own compositions. With the assistance of Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash, Nyro soars: the vocal arrangements complicate these familliar songs, sometimes with a harsh dissonance ("You've Really Got A Hold On Me"), at other times with an unparalleled loveliness ("The Bells"), but always stretching the material past any comparison to the original versions. Both Nyro and the ladies of LaBelle were experiemntal in their treatment of R&B, rejecting commercial catchiness in order to touch the true heart of soul. You can feel it on this record: the community of sisters standing on the street corner singing "Met Him On A Sunday" for the love of song and each other. While the record is a collection of classics, these tunes are treated with such unabashed artistry, that songs like "It's Gonna Take A Miracle," "Dancing in the Streets" and "Spanish Harlem" (which in this treatment seems to be about Nyro herself) become completely new, and completely mezmerizing."